Lisbon Blog: Day 1, Sunday 29 April

Reporting for OGAE UK and Vision magazine we have Hass Yusuf (words), David Ransted (photos), and along with Robin Scott who’s helping us out, especially with any videoing. This blog will be updated throughout the day.

So it’s, finally, All Aboard and full steam ahead for this year’s Eurovision – here in sunny Lisbon. Actually it’s raining at the moment – reminding us of home. How very nice of them.

It’s been a bit of a rush today with security equipment breaking down, long queues, etc. But we’re here now and ready for the first rehearsals of the first half of Semi-Final 1.

These first rehearsals last about 30 minutes each, where the sound is checked and adjusted, a few camera angles changed – and the colour for the outfits is also checked to bring out the correct brightness. It’s all very high tech.

The first rehearsals are also closed, so the press can only observe what’s happening on stage via live links to the Media Centre.

Azerbaijan is first on stage. Aisel performs X My Heart – it’s an impressive pop number with a nice electro-beat background. She and her backing dancers and singers are dressed all in white. They’re all keeping fit running up and down their little mountain peaks. It’s all wind machines and lights. All very nice. But it must be cold up there barefoot!

Aisel from Azerbaijan

Anyway, next on stage we have Iceland. Ari Olafsson sings Our Choice. It’s a bit of an old-fashioned ballad hat starts off slowly but builds up. The act on stage is a bit under-stated. Ari is dressed in a white suit with an interesting, but distracting design to go with his nice red shirt. And that’s about it really. I think it may struggle to get through to the Grand Final – because this is a really tough semi.

Ari from Iceland

My favourite song of the contest is on next – Albania. Eugent Bushpepa sings Mall, which translates as Yearning. It’s a great rock number, but seems to lose something on stage. So far the direction we’ve seen hasn’t been that impressive – with awkward camera angels and strange editing – not concentrating on the important parts of the performance. It’s difficult to know if this will go through to the Grand Final – we’ve had bigger shocks in the past. But I quite like it – and there are two female singers in glittery mini shirts, so something for everyone. The second run improved things – and that’s why there are so many rehearsals so everything is perfect.

Eugent from Albania

After each rehearsal, the whole delegation will then observe everything in detail, and changes may be made for the second set of rehearsals. That’s why when the time the Grand final goes out, the whole experience is very slick.

Just a quick word about the stage. There are no LED screens this year – which we’ve had for many years, but there are plenty of lighting effects making things nice and colourful if needed.

Back to the performances now. Time for Belgium, where Sennek sings A Matter Of Time. The country has become a bit of a powerhouse in recent years and the trend continues. This is a sort of Bond theme with a melancholy feel to it. Sennek comes off as very sultry. She wisely uses a lot of the stage walking around – she’s all alone up there! Well her and her hair extensions. A very nice performance indeed – but again the staging just doesn’t impress. It probably just lacks atmosphere at the time. It’ll be different on the night with flags waving and cheering in abundance!

A possible winner, in my opinion, Mikolas Josef for the Czech Republic sings Lie To Me. Mikolas stops his first run-through – he thought the little stage around him was too dangerous. He certainly seems very organized. When I interviewed him at the Euriovision London Party he did say he was a perfectionist. So far this is the most memborable performance of the day. The act is well thought out and reflects the ‘bouncy’ nature of the song.

A bit of bad news though – Mikolas injured his back during the last rehearsal and has had to go to hospital for a check-up. (Or a Czech-up if I wasn’t looking for a cheap joke.) But fret not readers, he will be back – with his back. Hope so, as I expect him win this year!

The Czech delegation

Time for Lithuania where we have Ieva Zasimauskaita singing When We’re Old. Alas, some of us old ready, but luckily Eurovision is ageless. It’s a gentle love song. Ieva starts off sitting down. The act has gotten over the obstacle of not having a graphic background by having black and white imaging flashing on our screens in a nice subtle way. Very nice indeed.

Ieva from Lithuania

Now for something completely different – Israel! Netta sings Toy. It’s weird, modern and bonkers. It should wake up the arena. It’s a great performance and a fun act. Netta’s personality fills the stage and her backing group all add to the fun. This up-tempo number is expected to do well. And rightly so.

Netta from Israel

There’s something very charming about the next act. It’s by ALEKSEEV singing Forever, for Belarus. I guess it’s charming that Alek gives the camera a red rose who then passes it off to a dancer dressed in red. He’s got a really interesting voice.

ALEKSEEV from Belarus

Opera lovers can now rejoice, as next on stage we have Estonia represented by Elina Nechayeva and her song La Forza. Who needs LED screens when you’ve got Elina’s large dress to give al the special effects that we desire. For various reasons Elina can’t really move from her fixed position, but for once the camera angles actually have helped. A really classy act.

Elina from Estonia

But even more classier is the next country on stage – Bulgaria. EQUINOX were specially formed for this year’s contest. Their song, Bones, requires some great harmonies from a mixture of voices – which it has. The song has a very pagan and mystical feel to it. It’s amazing that this country has really found it’s Eurovision mojo. Fab stuff.

EQUINOX from Bulgaria

And that was the last performance of the day. Back tomorrow with comments from the first press conferences.

1 All information provided by members will be kept strictly confidential to comply with the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018.

2 The primary ballot is open to all current members of OGAE UK as of 31 May 2018.

3 Members who joined between 1 June 2018 and 30 September 2018 are welcome to apply and will be placed on a waiting list. In the unlikely event that any tickets remain once they have all been allocated to members in the primary ballot, a secondary ballot will be held.

4 Members who join after 30 September 2018 are not eligible to take part in the ballot process.

5 All current members who wish to enter the ballot process must renew their membership by 30 November 2018. If this requirement is not met, we reserve the right to withdraw the member from the ballot process.

6 Honorary members are not permitted to enter the ballot.

7 For the purposes of this document ‘fan tickets’ are defined as tickets purchased from the allocation made available to OGAE International, and not tickets purchased in the public sale.

8 Any fan tickets offered to OGAE UK by OGAE International will be allocated to applicants in the order determined by the ballots.

9 ONE fan ticket package will be reserved for each OGAE UK Committee member regardless of the ballot. If the Committee member does not accept the package, it will be made available for the ballot.

10 Fan tickets will first be allocated in accordance with the result of the primary ballot which includes all applicants who have been continual OGAE UK members since before 1 June 2018.

11 Any remaining fan tickets will then be made available for those on the waiting list which includes members who joined or re-joined on or after 1 June 2018. This includes those members who were added as a joint member to an existing member on or after 1 June 2018. A secondary ballot to determine allocation of the remaining tickets will only take place should this situation arise.

12 We cannot guarantee how many seated and/or standing packages will be offered. OGAE UK are usually allocated a limited number of seated packages and preference will be given to those who provide medical reasons at the time of application. Any remaining seated packages will be allocated in draw order to those who request seated packages.

13 Any ballot applications received after 11.59pm GMT on 31 October 2018 will be deemed invalid and unable to take part in the ballot process.

14 Members who belong to more than one branch of OGAE may only apply for fan tickets through their primary club. Multiple applications will result in disqualification from the ballot process. OGAE International will check to ensure duplicate applications are not made.

15 Ballot applicants must be in possession of an OGAE International membership card at the time of the contest.

16 No ballot applications will be processed until OGAE UK has received the completed application.

17 Any member who is successful in the ballot and is offered fan tickets but then fails to make the relevant purchase may be disbarred from all OGAE UK ticketing processes for the next two years. This will be decided on a case by case basis by the OGAE UK Committee, and the member will be notified of any action if any, is to be taken.

18 Entry into the ballot does not guarantee that the host broadcaster will offer any tickets or that everyone requesting entry to the ballot will be successful.

20 OGAE fan tickets or ticket packages may only be used by current OGAE members and cannot be split among others or used by non-OGAE members..

21 Any member who passes on or sells fan tickets without the prior agreement of the OGAE UK Ticket Coordinator may be disbarred from participating in future OGAE UK ticketing processes and be liable to have their membership terminated.

22 OGAE UK will aim to carry out the primary ballot at our Annual General Meeting on 24 November 2018 overseen by the OGAE UK Ticket Coordinator and an independent scruitneer. We may have to move this date forward if required by the EBU/OGAE International. We will advise members via email if this is the case.

23 OGAE UK will notify applicants of ballot results and any fan ticket allocations by e-mail.

24 The method of communication will be by e-mail. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that their e-mail address is current and that their e-mail account is able to accept messages from OGAE UK.

25 OGAE UK will not be responsible for e-mails going into spam folders or for e-mails which are unread. It is the responsibility of applicants to check their e-mail account on a regular basis.

26 It is the responsibility of the individual applicants to keep OGAE UK informed of any changes relating to telephone numbers and e-mail addresses. Changes should be sent to tickets@ogae.uk and clearly indicate that they relate to the fan ticket ballot.

27 Any member who is likely to be away from home at the time fan tickets requests need to be finalised must ensure that it is possible to access their e-mail so that any offer and allocation can be confirmed immediately.

28 Arrangements for the actual purchase of fan tickets by successful applicants are determined by the host organiser and are outside the control of OGAE UK.

29 OGAE UK will not be responsible for any fan tickets that are lost or defaced, cancelled or withdrawn at any time, or for refusal of admittance to any of the shows by the organisers.

30 OGAE UK will not be responsible for any changes made by the host broadcaster after the issue and allocation of the fan tickets up to and including the time of broadcast, or for any obstructed or restricted viewing in the arena caused by the demands of a live television show.

31 OGAE UK cannot and will not be held responsible for any financial losses under any circumstances, including but not exhaustive of flights, hotels, visa and other travel related costs.

32 OGAE UK reserves the right to modify or add to these terms and conditions without notice. Any such changes will be notified as soon as possible to those members entering the ticket ballots.

Briefing Notes 2019

Introduction

Many members are new to the OGAE fan ticket process and so this document serves to provide some background information and advice on how the process usually works. It must be emphasised that firm details have not yet been published so these notes are for guidance only.

As previously communicated, any ticket packages that OGAE UK is offered will be allocated to eligible members in an order determined by a ballot process. In this way the allocation is as fair as possible.

Please be aware that there is never any guarantee that OGAE will be allocated ticket packages, We are trying to secure the largest possible allocation from the organisers and OGAE International. As of yet we do not know how many – if any – ticket packages will be made available to OGAE International, and so it is impossible to give an estimate of how many we may receive. Similarly, we are unable to confirm whether the fan packages will be for standing or sitting places.

Who may participate in the ballots?

All OGAE UK members (with the exception of honorary members) up until the time of the opening of the ballot are welcome to apply for tickets.

However priority will be given to those people who were current members as of 31 May 2018.

If there are still any remaining tickets available then a secondary ballot will be held for those members who joined after 1 June 2018. Realistically it is unlikely that there would be enough tickets available for the secondary ballot, however people in this category are still welcome to apply.

Members may only request ONE fan package for their own personal use. You cannot request/buy for other people. If you have friends who wish to join you, they must be eligible for the OGAE UK ballot and enter the ballot in their own right.

Ballot structure

There will be ONE initial ballot for all active members as of 31 May 2018. If there are tickets/packages remaining then a second ballot will take place for people who joined on or after 1 June 2018.

Any eligible members who apply for tickets after the ballot deadline will be placed on a waiting list and will be allocated tickets in the order in which they applied if and when any become available after all ballot participant requests have been met.

Ballot pairings

As in previous years, members will have an opportunity to nominate a second individual with whom to be paired for the purposes of the ballot. This is in no way compulsory, but allows joint members or friends who travel together to be treated as one unit for the purposes of the ballots, thus giving them a little more certainty when making their travel plans. Both applicants MUST be current members of OGAE UK and be eligible for the initial ballot, ie both must have been active members as of 31 May 2018. Applying as a pair does not guarantee that you will be sitting together or placed in the same section, however every effort will be made to place you together. Seating and section plans will be confirmed at a later date.

If you apply with someone who is not eligible for the initial ballot, you will both be automatically placed on the waiting list for the secondary ballot.

Membership Cards

Anyone entering the ballot process must make sure they are in possession of an electronic OGAE membership card at the time of the contest. We are in the process of retiring the current membership card system and details of the new system for electronic cards will follow in due course.

OGAE Fan Tickets

We have not yet received any details of the fan tickets that may be made available to OGAE in 2019. It is entirely up to the organisers to decide what (if anything) they will offer us. Historically, OGAE has been offered fan packages consisting of a ticket for each of the live shows, each of the ‘jury finals’ and, on occasion, we have also had access to some the rehearsals. In 2018, as in previous years fan packages consisted of tickets to 6 separate shows on each of the days during Eurovision week.

The ticket packages are usually priced at around £300-400, However, this price may fluctuate and indeed was higher in 2018 than previous years. The package price often represents a considerable discount over buying the tickets individually. As a result, the packages cannot be split, ie you CANNOT purchase tickets for the semi finals or finals only, and unwanted tickets must NOT be sold and should only be passed on to other members with the agreement of OGAE. It is important that we comply with these requirements as we need to respect the good value and privileged status represented by the fan ticket packages.

As a result of the nature of the fan packages, they may not be the best option for members who only plan to attend the Grand Final on the Saturday evening. In recent years, some members have sold on tickets that they did not wish to use. This is strictly prohibited but has, to a degree, been tolerated in the past, so long as tickets went to other club members and OGAE was advised. However, there were a number of unpleasant incidents and complaints in the past few years resulting from tickets that had been sold on. As a result, we intend to enforce the rules more rigidly, and for 2019, any member who contravenes the fan ticket rules by selling or passing on tickets without OGAE UK’s express agreement, may be suspended from OGAE UK ticketing for the next two years.

If you are unable to attend ALL the live shows, it is recommended that you purchase your tickets in the public sale. Details of this will be announced on the official Eurovision website in due course (www.eurovision.tv), but as yet, no concrete details have been announced on dates or pricing.

Standing or Sitting

In recent years, the floor of the arena has been designated as a standing zone. The majority of our tickets have allocated in the standing zone. In previous OGAE also receive a smaller seated allocation. Members who are unable to stand for long periods of time due to medical conditions are given priority for these tickets, but we are unable to guarantee this, as the numbers allocated are always insufficient to meet demand.

We do not yet know whether OGAE tickets will be for standing or sitting places. OGAE International will attempt to secure the best possible mix of standing and seating ticket packages. We will address this issue as and when we receive additional information. In previous years, the demand for seated tickets has been greater than our allocation.

Due to this, seated packages will be offered first to people with a genuine medical requirement, and we may have to ask people to provide a relevant doctor’s note to support their request. Any information sent to us will be kept strictly confidential.

If you do not have a medical reason for requiring a seated package, you can still request one. We will do our best to meet people’s preferences but cannot guarantee this. After seated packages have been allocated to those with medical requirements, they will be offered to those requesting them in draw order. Therefore, we may not be able to guarantee your preferences.

For those of you who are offered a seated package, we will try our best to honour requests to sit together with other members, although this cannot be guaranteed. We will not be able to discuss this until we know the details of how many seated packages we receive.

How to apply

If you wish to be considered for the ballot process, please complete the online application form which can be found on the OGAE UK official website. Please note that ALL applicants must accept the terms and conditions by ticking the box, and sign the form by typing their full name to acknowledge that they have read and accepted the ballot terms and conditions. The form should be submitted no later than 11.59pm GMT on 31 October 2018. Any applications made after this date will be placed on a waiting list should any packages become available after the first (and potentially second ballot) has taken place. Please note that it may be necessary to bring this deadline forward in the event that OGAE International requests final submissions before this date. We will notify all members with as much notice as we can if this is the case. ALL members will have an equal status in the ballot regardless of when they apply during the application process.

Withdrawal from the Ballot Process

This year, as in previous years, no deposits will be required. However, if you wish to withdraw from the application process after your application has been submitted, you must advise the Ticket Coordinator as soon as possible. If you withdraw under any of the following circumstances:

Where an applicant commits to buying an OGAE fan package and then does not complete the ticket purchase

Where an applicant withdraws from the ballot AFTER OGAE UK is required to provide final ticket request numbers to OGAE International

members may be suspended from OGAE UK ticket processes for the following two years. The final decision will be made on a case by case basis by the OGAE UK committee, and members will be informed of the outcome.

No one will be asked to make a firm commitment to purchase a ticket without knowing the full price and the nature of the tickets involved.

Ticket Sale Timeline

In the ideal world, we would all prefer the OGAE fan tickets to be put on sale before the start of public ticket sales. This would give OGAE members some clarity and would give those unsuccessful in the ballot a second chance to secure tickets through the public sale. Every year OGAE International makes this request to the organisers but things never quite go according to plan. We all have to remember that OGAE tickets are not a high priority for the organisers, who can sell all the tickets to the live shows very easily and quickly without our help (something they always point out during negotiations with OGAE International). Basically, we need them more than they need us, and we are entirely at their mercy.

In the event that the public sale starts before the final allocation of fan packages, we recognise that members will be faced with the dilemma of whether to buy directly or keep faith with the OGAE process. We will do everything we can to avoid this scenario but we cannot guarantee that this will not happen. If any members do buy in the public sale before finalisation of the OGAE packages, it is essential that they advise us so that their tickets can be re-allocated.

Application Processing

Once we receive your ballot application, you will receive an automated email confirming receipt of the application. We will then check that all the required details have been provided, and whether you are eligible for the initial ballot or the waiting list.

We contact you via email to confirm your eligibility. We will aim to send out confirmation e-mails within 14 days of the close of the ballot application window. This process represents quite an administrative burden and so it would be very much appreciated if applications could be submitted as early as possible, rather than waiting for the final few days before the deadline.

We will aim to do the draw at our Annual General Meeting as in the previous two years, but this may not be possible due to timings set down by the EBU/OGAE International.

If it does not take place at the AGM then there will be an independent scrutinteer and it will may be filmed. After the ballot has taken place, the results will be communicated to all participants via e-mail.

Ticket Allocation and Purchase

As soon as we receive an allocation of tickets from OGAE International, we will advise all those who have been successful in the ballot. If any members have not managed to secure tickets in the initial allocation, there may be a chance that additional tickets will become available and we will keep the relevant people informed.

We have still not been advised of the actual ticket purchase process, but it is anticipated that it will be similar to recent years when tickets could be bought over the internet from the official ticket agency. You will be advised of the exact procedures when they are made available.

Please remember that, as in previous years, you may need to first buy a ticket voucher through the sales agent and then exchange this for the actual tickets once you arrive in Tel Aviv. This has happened in two of the last five years so it is important to factor the possible need to collect tickets into your travel plans (ie don’t plan on arriving in Tel Aviv just before the start of a show!).

The ticket process is always a bit of an emotional roller coaster and the next few months will inevitably be a nervous and, at times, stressful period for those who want to attend the shows in Tel Aviv. All of us at OGAE UK will do our very best to keep you informed of developments and to maximise the number of tickets that we can secure. Keep an eye on your e-mails including your spam folder, and update us immediately if your contact details change.

Good Luck!

Terms and Conditions 2018

OGAE UK TICKET BALLOT 2018 TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1 All information provided by members will be kept strictly confidential to comply with the Data Protection Act (DPA) 1998.

2 The ballots are open to all current members of OGAE UK as of 30 September 2017. Members who join after this date are not eligible to take part in the ballot.

3 All current members who wish to enter the ballot process must renew their membership by 17 November 2017, and have a current OGAE International membership card or have applied for one by 30 September 2017. If these requirements are not met, we reserve the right to withdraw the member from the ballot process.

4 Honorary members are not permitted to enter the ballot.

5 For the purposes of this document ‘fan tickets’ are defined as tickets purchased from the allocation made available to OGAE International, and not tickets purchased in the public sale.

6 Any fan tickets offered to OGAE UK by OGAE International will be allocated to applicants in the order determined by the ballots.

7 ONE fan ticket package will be reserved for each OGAE UK Committee member regardless of the ballot. If the Committee member does not accept the package, it will be made available for the ballot.

8 Fan tickets will first be allocated in accordance with the result of the primary ballot which includes all applicants who have been continual OGAE UK members since before 1 June 2017. Any remaining fan tickets will then be allocated in accordance with the results of the secondary ballot which includes members who joined or re-joined on or after 1 June 2017. This includes those members who were added as a joint member to an existing member on or after 1 June 2017.

9 OGAE UK cannot guarantee that any standing or seating preferences can be guaranteed. OGAE UK are allocated a limited number of seated packages and preference will be given to those who provide medical reasons at the time of application. Any remaining seated packages will be allocated in draw order to those who request seated packages.

10 Any ballot applications received after 11.59pm on 31 October 2017 will be added to a waiting list and allocated fan tickets in the order in which the applications were received if and when they become available once both the primary and secondary ballots are exhausted.

11 Members who belong to more than one branch of OGAE may only apply for fan tickets through their primary club. Multiple applications will result in disqualification. OGAE International will check to ensure duplicate applications are not made.

12 Ballot applicants must be in possession of an OGAE International membership card OR have provided the required photo to OGAE UK to allow a card to be produced.

13 No ballot applications will be processed until OGAE UK has received the completed application, and where appropriate, digital passport photograph.

14 Any member who is successful in the ballot and is offered fan tickets but then fails to make the relevant purchase may be disbarred from all OGAE UK ticketing processes for the next two years. This will be decided on a case by case basis by the OGAE UK Committee, and the member will be notified of any action if any, is to be taken.

15 Entry into the ballot does not guarantee that the host broadcaster will offer any tickets or that everyone requesting entry to the ballot will be successful.

17 OGAE fan tickets or ticket packages may only be used by current OGAE members and cannot be split.

18 Any member who passes on or sells fan tickets without the prior agreement of the OGAE UK Ticket Coordinator may be disbarred from participating in future OGAE UK ticketing processes and be liable to have their membership terminated.

19 The ballots will be conducted at the OGAE UK AGM on Saturday 18 November 2017, overseen by the OGAE UK Ticket Coordinator.

20 OGAE UK will notify applicants of ballot results and any fan ticket allocations by e-mail.

21 The method of communication will be by e-mail. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that their e-mail address is current and that their e-mail account is able to accept messages from OGAE UK.

22 OGAE UK will not be responsible for e-mails going into spam folders or for e-mails which are unread. It is the responsibility of applicants to check their e-mail account on a regular basis.

23 It is the responsibility of the individual applicants to keep OGAE UK informed of any changes relating to telephone numbers and e-mail addresses. Changes should be sent to tickets@ogae.uk and clearly indicate that they relate to the fan ticket ballot.

24 Any member who is likely to be away from home at the time fan tickets requests need to be finalised must ensure that it is possible to access their e-mail so that any offer and allocation can be confirmed immediately.

25 Arrangements for the actual purchase of fan tickets by successful applicants are determined by the host organiser and are outside the control of OGAE UK.

26 OGAE UK will not be responsible for any fan tickets that are lost or defaced, cancelled or withdrawn at any time, or for refusal of admittance to any of the shows by the organisers.

27 OGAE UK will not be responsible for any changes made by the host broadcaster after the issue and allocation of the fan tickets up to and including the time of broadcast, or for any obstructed or restricted viewing in the arena caused by the demands of a live television show.

28 OGAE UK cannot and will not be held responsible for any financial losses under any circumstances, including but not exhaustive of flights, hotels, visa and other travel related costs.

29 OGAE UK reserves the right to modify or add to these terms and conditions without notice. Any such changes will be notified as soon as possible to those members entering the ticket ballots.

Briefing Notes 2018

Introduction

Many members are new to the OGAE ESC fan ticket process and so this document serves to provide some background information and advice on how the process usually works. It must be emphasised that firm details have not yet been published so these notes are for guidance only.

As previously communicated, any ticket packages that OGAE UK is offered will be allocated to members in an order determined by a ballot process. In this way the allocation is as fair as possible. Our process recognizes the loyalty of long standing members but also allows access to tickets to new club members.

We are trying to secure the largest possible allocation from the organisers and OGAE International. As of yet we do not know how many – if any – ticket packages will be made available to OGAE International, and so it is impossible to give an estimate of how many we may receive. Similarly, we are unable to confirm whether the fan packages will be for standing or sitting places.

Who may participate in the ballots?

All OGAE UK members (with the exception of honorary members) are eligible to participate in the ballot process. However, only members who have an OGAE International membership card OR have supplied the required photo may participate in the ballot. National ticket allocations are based on the number of membership cards issued to each club, and OGAE International only permits the use of fan tickets by members who are in possession of a current card (see below for further details if you do not currently have a card).

Members may only request ONE fan package for their own personal use. You cannot request/buy for other people. If you have friends who wish to join you, they will need to join OGAE UK themselves and enter the ballot in their own right.

Ballot structure

There will be two separate ballots:

BALLOT 1 for all members who joined before 1 June 2017

BALLOT 2 for members who joined (or re-joined) on or after 1 June 2017

Tickets will be allocated first to ballot 1 and then to ballot 2. Any members who apply for tickets after the ballot deadline will be placed on a waiting list and will be allocated tickets in the order in which they applied if and when any become available after all ballot participant requests have been met.

Ballot pairings

As in 2017, members will have an opportunity to nominate a second individual with whom to be paired for the purposes of the ballot. This is in no way compulsory, but allows joint members or friends who travel together to be treated as one unit for the purposes of the ballots, thus giving them a little more certainty when making their travel plans. Both applicants MUST be current members of OGAE UK. ALL members will have an equal status in the ballots; no one will be disadvantaged by the pairing process. Please note, however, that where members who joined before 1 June 2017 ask to be paired with members who joined after that date, they will both be placed in Ballot 2.

OGAE Fan Tickets

We have not yet received any details of the fan tickets that may be made available to OGAE in 2018. It is entirely up to the organisers to decide what (if anything) they will offer us. Historically, OGAE has been offered fan packages consisting of a ticket for each of the live shows, each of the ‘jury finals’ and, on occasion, we have also had access to some the rehearsals. In 2017 fan packages consisted of tickets to 6 separate shows on each of the days during Eurovision week.

The ticket packages are usually priced at around £300, often representing a considerable discount over buying the tickets individually. As a result, the packages cannot be split, ie you CANNOT purchase tickets for the semi finals or finals only, and unwanted tickets must not be sold and should only be passed on to other members with the agreement of OGAE. It is important that we comply with these requirements as we need to respect the good value and privileged status represented by the fan ticket packages.

As a result of the nature of the fan packages, they may not be the best option for members who only plan to attend the Grand Final on the Saturday evening. In recent years, some members have sold on tickets that they did not wish to use. This is strictly prohibited but has, to a degree, been tolerated in the past, so long as tickets went to other club members and OGAE was advised. However, there were a number of unpleasant incidents and complaints in the past few years resulting from tickets that had been sold on. As a result, we intend to enforce the rules more rigidly, and for 2018, any member who contravenes the fan ticket rules by selling or passing on tickets without OGAE UK’s express agreement, will be suspended from OGAE UK ticketing for the next two years.

If you are unable to attend ALL the live shows, it is recommended that you purchase your tickets in the public sale. Details of this will be announced on the official Eurovision website in due course (www.eurovision.tv), but as yet, no concrete details have been announced on dates or pricing.

Standing or Sitting

In recent years, the floor of the arena has been designated as a standing zone. In 2013 OGAE was only offered standing places as part of the fan packages. After pressure from OGAE International, the Malmö organisers offered a very small number of seated packages for those who were physically unable to stand. In Copenhagen, Vienna and Stockholm, intensive negotiations resulted in a higher number of seated places being made available but there was still insufficient to meet demand.

We do not yet know whether OGAE tickets will be for standing or sitting places. OGAE International will attempt to secure the best possible mix of standing and seating ticket packages. We will address this issue as and when we receive additional information. It is reasonable to assume that demand for seats will probably outstrip supply. If this is the case and you are lucky enough to secure a seat, please make sure that you use it. There were a number of complaints in previous that members secured seats but then chose instead to join the fans in the standing area. This was unfair to those who had wanted a seat and particularly to those who actually withdrew from the ticket ballot when they could not be allocated a seat.

If limited seats are made available, these will be offered first to people with a genuine medical requirement, and we may have to ask people to provide a relevant doctor’s note to support their request. Any information sent to us will be kept strictly confidential.

If you do not have a medical reason for requiring a seated package, you can still request one. We will do our best to meet people’s preferences but cannot guarantee this. After seated packages have been allocated to those with medical requirements, they will be offered to those requesting them in draw order. Therefore, we may not be able to guarantee your preferences.

For those of you who are offered a seated package, we will try our best to honour requests to sit together with other members, although this cannot be guaranteed. We will not be able to discuss this until we know the details of how many seated packages we receive.

How to apply

If you wish to apply for the ballot process, please complete the online application form which can be found on the OGAE UK official website. Please note that ALL applicants must accept the terms and conditions by ticking the box, and sign the form by typing their full name to acknowledge that they have read and accepted the ballot terms and conditions. The form should be submitted no later than 11.59pm GMT on 31 October 2017. Any applications made after this date will NOT be entered into the ballot. Please note that it may be necessary to bring this deadline forward in the event that OGAE International requests final submissions before this date. We will notify all members with as much notice as we can if this is the case.

Membership Cards

You will see that the application form asks for your OGAE International membership card number. As usual, OGAE fan tickets may only be used by the holder of an OGAE International membership card. OGAE International will check that all ticket buyers have a card. Asking for the card number also means that members will have to check that they still have their cards. If you have lost your card, please let us know by 30 September 2017 so that a replacement can be ordered, although please note that a £5 replacement charge will be levied.

For those who do not yet have a membership card, you can still apply to join the ballots but your application will only be accepted if you have provided the required photo by 30 September 2017.

If you have not advised us you need a card by 30 September, you will not be eligible to take part in the ballot.

For those who have not yet received a card, please be advised that they are produced centrally in Finland for all European clubs and there is only one routine production run per year. The next batch of cards should be with us around April and we will then distribute them to you.

Withdrawal from the Ballot Process

This year, as in 2017, no deposits will be required. However, if you wish to withdraw from the application process after your application has been submitted, you must advise the Ticket Coordinator as soon as possible. If you withdraw under any of the following circumstances:

Where an applicant commits to buying an OGAE fan package and then does not complete the ticket purchase

Where an applicant withdraws from the ballot AFTER OGAE UK is required to provide final ticket request numbers to OGAE International

members may be suspended from OGAE UK ticket processes for the following two years. The final decision will be made on a case by case basis by the OGAE UK committee, and members will be informed of the outcome.

No one will be asked to make a firm commitment to purchase a ticket without knowing the full price and the nature of the tickets involved.

Ticket Sale Timeline

In the ideal world, we would all prefer the OGAE fan tickets to be put on sale before the start of public ticket sales. This would give OGAE members some clarity and would give those unsuccessful in the ballot a second chance to secure tickets through the public sale. Every year OGAE International makes this request to the organisers but things never quite go according to plan. We all have to remember that OGAE tickets are not a high priority for the organisers, who can sell all the tickets to the live shows very easily and quickly without our help (something they always point out during negotiations with OGAE International). Basically, we need them more than they need us, and we are entirely at their mercy.

In the event that the public sale starts before the final allocation of fan packages, we recognise that members will be faced with the dilemma of whether to buy directly or keep faith with the OGAE process. We will do everything we can to avoid this scenario but we cannot guarantee that this will not happen. If any members do buy in the public sale before finalisation of the OGAE packages, it is essential that they advise us so that their tickets can be re-allocated.

Application Processing

Once we receive your ballot application you will receive an automated email confirming receipt of the application. We will then check that all the required details have been provided. If you have not provided a membership card number, we will assume that you do not have a current membership card. As stated above, if you do not have a current membership card, you must have applied for one, and sent your photo to us by 30 September, or you will not be eligible to take part in the ballot.

We will then determine in which ballot you will participate based on your date of joining/re- joining. If you have asked to be paired with someone in a different ballot, you will both automatically be placed in the second ballot.

You will only be entered into the ballot once we have a completed application and you either have a current membership card or have provided a photo. If all these items are in order, we will contact you via e-mail to advise you that you will be entered into the ballot along with confirmation of the ballot to which you have been allocated.

We will aim to send out confirmation e-mails within 14 days of the receipt of all the required information. This process represents quite an administrative burden and so it would be very much appreciated if applications could be submitted as early as possible, rather than waiting for the final few days before the deadline.

The ballot will be carried out at the OGAE UK AGM on 18 November 2017. After the ballot has taken place, the results will be communicated to all participants via e-mail.

Ticket Allocation and Purchase

As soon as we receive an allocation of tickets from OGAE International, we will advise all those who have been successful in the ballot. If any members have not managed to secure tickets in the initial allocation, there may be a chance that additional tickets will become available and we will keep the relevant people informed.

We have still not been advised of the actual ticket purchase process, but it is anticipated that it will be similar to the last five years when tickets could be bought over the internet from the official ticket agency. You will be advised of the exact procedures when they are made available.

Please remember that, as in previous years, you may need to first buy a ticket voucher through the sales agent and then exchange this for the actual tickets once you arrive in Lisbon. This has happened in two of the last five years so it is important to factor the possible need to collect tickets into your travel plans (ie don’t plan on arriving in Lisbon just before the start of a show!).

The ticket process is always a bit of an emotional roller coaster and the next few months will inevitably be a nervous and, at times, stressful period for those who want to attend the shows in Lisbon. All of us at OGAE UK will do our very best to keep you informed of developments and to maximise the number of tickets that we can secure. Keep an eye on your e-mails including your spam folder, and update us immediately if your contact details change.

Good Luck!

OGAE UK Ticketing Briefing Notes 2017

Introduction

Many members are new to the OGAE ESC fan ticket process and so this document serves to provide some background information and advice on how the process usually works. It must be emphasized that firm details have not yet been published so these notes are for guidance only.

As previously communicated, any ticket packages that OGAE UK is offered will be allocated to members in an order determined by a ballot process. In this way the allocation is as fair as possible. Our process recognizes the loyalty of long standing members but also allows access to tickets to new club members.

So far, over 340 UK members have expressed interest in buying OGAE fan tickets for the ESC 2017, and we are trying to secure the largest possible allocation from the organisers and OGAE International. In 2016 we managed to secure 352 packages. As of yet we do not know how many -if any- ticket packages will be made available to OGAE International, and so it is impossible to give an estimate of how many we may receive. Similarly, we are unable to confirm whether the fan packages will be for standing or sitting places.

Who may participate in the ballots?

All OGAE UK members (with the exception of honorary members) are eligible to participate in the ballot process. However, only members who have an OGAE International membership card OR have supplied the required photo may participate in the ballot. National ticket allocations are based on the number of membership cards issued to each club, and OGAE International only permits the use of fan tickets by members who are in possession of a current card (see below for further details if you do not currently have a card).

Members may only request ONE fan package for their own personal use. You cannot request/buy for other people. If you have friends who wish to join you, they will need to join OGAE UK themselves and enter the ballot in their own right.

Ballot structure

There will be two separate ballots:

BALLOT 1 for all members who joined before 1 June 2016

BALLOT 2 for members who joined (or re-joined) after 1 June 2016

Tickets will be allocated first to ballot 1 and then to ballot 2. Any members who apply for tickets after the ballot deadline will be placed on a waiting list and will be allocated tickets in the order in which they applied if and when any become available after all ballot participant requests have been met.

Ballot pairings

As in 2016, members will have an opportunity to nominate a second individual with whom to be paired for the purposes of the ballot. This is in no way compulsory, but allows joint members or friends who travel together to be treated as one unit for the purposes of the ballots, thus giving them a little more certainty when making their travel plans. Both applicants MUST be current members of OGAE UK. ALL members will have an equal status in the ballots; no one will be disadvantaged by the pairing process. Please note, however, that where members who joined before 1 June 2016 ask to be paired with members who joined after that date, they will both be placed in Ballot 2.

OGAE Fan Tickets

We have not yet received any details of the fan tickets that may be made available to OGAE in 2017. It is entirely up to the organisers to decide what (if anything) they will offer us. Historically, OGAE has been offered fan packages consisting of a ticket for each of the live shows, each of the ‘jury finals’ and, on occasion, we have also had access to some the rehearsals. In 2016 fan packages consisted of tickets to 6 separate shows on each of the days during Eurovision week.

The ticket packages are usually priced at around £300, often representing a considerable discount over buying the tickets individually. As a result, the packages cannot be split, ie you CANNOT purchase tickets for the semi finals or finals only, and unwanted tickets must not be sold and should only be passed on to other members with the agreement of OGAE. It is important that we comply with these requirements as we need to respect the good value and privileged status represented by the fan ticket packages.

As a result of the nature of the fan packages, they may not be the best option for members who only plan to attend the Grand Final on the Saturday evening. In recent years, some members have sold on tickets that they did not wish to use. This is strictly prohibited but has, to a degree, been tolerated in the past, so long as tickets went to other club members and OGAE was advised. However, there were a number of unpleasant incidents and complaints in the past few years resulting from tickets that had been sold on. As a result, we intend to enforce the rules more rigidly, and for 2017, any member who contravenes the fan ticket rules by selling or passing on tickets without OGAE UK’s express agreement, will be suspended from OGAE UK ticketing for the next two years.

If you are unable to attend ALL the live shows, it is recommended that you purchase your tickers in the public sale. Details of this will be announced on the official Eurovision website in due course (www.eurovision.tv), but as yet, no concrete details have been announced on dates or pricing.

Standing or Sitting

In recent years, the floor of the arena has been designated as a standing zone. In 2013 OGAE was only offered standing places as part of the fan packages. After pressure from OGAE International, the Malmö organisers offered a very small number of seated packages for those who were physically unable to stand. In Copenhagen, Vienna and Stockholm, intensive negotiations resulted in a higher number of seated places being made available but there was still insufficient to meet demand.

We do not yet know whether OGAE tickets will be for standing or sitting places. OGAE International will attempt to secure the best possible mix of standing and seating ticket packages. We will address this issue as and when we receive additional information. It is reasonable to assume that demand for seats will probably outstrip supply. If this is the case and you are lucky enough to secure a seat, please make sure that you use it. There were a number of complaints in previous that members secured seats but then chose instead to join the fans in the standing area. This was unfair to those who had wanted a seat and particularly to those who actually withdrew from the ticket ballot when they could not be allocated a seat.

If limited seats are made available, these will be offered first to people with a genuine medical requirement, and we may have to ask people to provide a relevant doctor’s note to support their request. Any information sent to us will be kept strictly confidential.

If you do not have a medical reason for requiring a seated package, you can still request one. We will do our best to meet people’s preferences but cannot guarantee this. After seated packages have been allocated to those with medical requirements, they will be offered to those requesting them in draw order. Therefore, we may not be able to guarantee your preferences.

For those of you who are offered a seated package, we will try our best to honour requests to sit together with other members, although this cannot be guaranteed. We will not be able to discuss this until we know the details of how many seated packages we receive.

How to apply

If you wish to apply for the ballot process, please complete the online application form which can be found on the OGAE UK official website. Please note that ALL applicants must accept the terms and conditions by ticking the box, and sign the form by typing their full name to acknowledge that they have read and accepted the ballot terms and conditions. The form should be submitted no later than 11.59pm GMT on 17 November 2015. Any applications made after this date will NOT be entered into the ballot. Please note that it may be necessary to bring this deadline forward in the event that OGAE International requests final submissions before this date. We will notify all members with as much notice as we can if this is the case.

Membership Cards

You will see that the application form asks for your OGAE International membership card number. As usual, OGAE fan tickets may only be used by the holder of an OGAE International membership card. OGAE International will check that all ticket buyers have a card. Asking for the card number also means that members will have to check that they still have their cards. If you have lost your card, please let us know by 31 October 2016 so that a replacement can be ordered, although please note that a £5 replacement charge will be levied.

For those who do not yet have a membership card, you can still apply to join the ballots but your application will only be accepted if you have provided the required photo by the ballot deadline. We will check each ballot application and if you have not supplied a photo we will contact you, so there is no need to write asking for confirmation that we have your photo on file (see below).

For those who have not yet received a card, please be advised that they are produced centrally in Finland for all European clubs and there is only one routine production run per year. The next batch of cards should be with us around April and we will then distribute them to you.

Membership Numbers

The application form also asks for your OGAE UK membership number. This can be found on the envelope that your Vision magazine is sent in. The next issue of Vision is due to be delivered towards the end of October. If you do not know your membership number, just leave blank, this is included to make things easier when validating your eligibility for the ballot.

Withdrawal from the Ballot Process

This year, no deposits will be required. However, if you wish to withdraw from the application process after your application has been submitted, you must advise the Ticket Coordinator as soon as possible. If you withdraw under any of the following circumstances:

Where an applicant commits to buying an OGAE fan package and then does not complete the ticket purchase

Where an applicant withdraws from the ballot AFTER OGAE UK is required to provide final ticket request numbers to OGAE International

members may be suspended from OGAE UK ticket processes for the following two years. The final decision will be made on a case by case basis by the OGAE UK committee, and members will be informed of the outcome.

No one will be asked to make a firm commitment to purchase a ticket without knowing the full price and the nature of the tickets involved.

Ticket Sale Timeline

In the ideal world, we would all prefer the OGAE fan tickets to be put on sale before the start of public ticket sales. This would give OGAE members some clarity and would give those unsuccessful in the ballot a second chance to secure tickets through the public sale. Every year OGAE International makes this request to the organisers but things never quite go according to plan. We all have to remember that OGAE tickets are not a high priority for the organisers, who can sell all the tickets to the live shows very easily and quickly without our help (something they always point out during negotiations with OGAE International). Basically, we need them more than they need us, and we are entirely at their mercy.

In the event that the public sale starts before the final allocation of fan packages, we recognise that members will be faced with the dilemma of whether to buy directly or keep faith with the OGAE process. We will do everything we can to avoid this scenario but we cannot guarantee that this will not happen. If any members do buy in the public sale before finalisation of the OGAE packages, it is essential that they advise us so that their tickets can be re-allocated.

Application Processing

Once we receive your ballot application you will receive an automated email confirming receipt of the application. We will then check that all the required details have been provided. If you have not provided a membership card number, we will check that we have your photo on file and that a card will therefore be ordered for you for 2017. If we do not have an appropriate photo on file, we will contact you. You must then provide a photo by the ballot deadline and will not be added to the ballot until one is received.

We will then determine in which ballot you will participate based on your date of joining/re- joining. If you have asked to be paired with someone in a different ballot, we will contact you.

You will only be entered into the ballot once we have a completed application and you either have a current membership card or have provided a photo. If all these items are in order, we will contact you via e-mail to advise you that you will be entered into the ballot along with confirmation of the ballot to which you have been allocated.

We will aim to send out confirmation e-mails within 14 days of the receipt of all the required information. This process represents quite an administrative burden and so it would be very much appreciated if applications could be submitted as early as possible, rather than waiting for the final few days before the deadline.

The ballot will be carried out at the OGAE UK AGM on 19 November 2016. After the ballot has taken place, the results will be communicated to all participants via e-mail.

Ticket Allocation and Purchase

As soon as we receive an allocation of tickets from OGAE International, we will advise all those who have been successful in the ballot. If any members have not managed to secure tickets in the initial allocation, there may be a chance that additional tickets will become available and we will keep the relevant people informed.

We have still not been advised of the actual ticket purchase process, but it is anticipated that it will be similar to the last five years when tickets could be bought over the internet from the official ticket agency. You will be advised of the exact procedures when they are made available.

Please remember that, as in previous years, you may need to first buy a ticket voucher through the sales agent and then exchange this for the actual tickets once you arrive in Kyiv. This has happened in two of the last five years so it is important to factor the possible need to collect tickets into your travel plans (ie don’t plan on arriving in Kyiv just before the start of a show!).

The ticket process is always a bit of an emotional roller coaster and the next few months will inevitably be a nervous and, at times, stressful period for those who want to attend the shows in Kyiv. All of us at OGAE UK will do our very best to keep you informed of developments and to maximise the number of tickets that we can secure. Keep an eye on your e-mails including your spam folder, and update us immediately if your contact details change.

Good Luck!

Terms & Conditions

OGAE UK TICKET BALLOT 2017 TERMS AND CONDITIONS

All information provided by members will be kept strictly confidential to comply with the Data Protection Act (DPA) 1998.

The ballots are open to all current members of OGAE UK as of 30 September 2016.

All current members who wish to enter the ballot process must renew their membership by 30 November 2016, and have a current OGAE International membership card or have applied for one by this date. If these requirements are not met, we reserve the right to withdraw the member from the ballot process.

Honorary members are not permitted to enter the ballot.

For the purposes of this document ‘fan tickets’ are defined as tickets purchased from the allocation made available to OGAE International, and not tickets purchased in the public sale.

Any fan tickets offered to OGAE UK by OGAE International will be allocated to applicants in the order determined by the ballots.

ONE fan ticket package will be reserved for each OGAE UK Committee member regardless of the ballot. If the Committee member does not accept the package, it will be made available for the ballot.

Fan tickets will first be allocated in accordance with the result of the primary ballot which includes all applicants who have been continual OGAE UK members since before 1 June 2016. Any remaining fan tickets will then be allocated in accordance with the results of the secondary ballot which includes members who joined or re-joined after 31 May 2016.

OGAE UK cannot guarantee that any standing or seating preferences can be guaranteed. OGAE UK are allocated a limited number of seated packages and preference will be given to those who provide medical reasons at the time of application. Any remaining seated packages will be allocated in draw order to those who request seated packages.

Any ballot applications received after 17 November 2016 will be added to a waiting list and allocated fan tickets in the order in which the applications were received if and when they become available once both the primary and secondary ballots are exhausted.

Members who belong to more than one branch of OGAE may only apply for fan tickets through their primary club. Multiple applications will result in disqualification. OGAE International will check to ensure duplicate applications are not made.

Ballot applicants must be in possession of an OGAE International membership card OR have provided the required photo to OGAE UK to allow a card to be produced.

No ballot applications will be processed until OGAE UK has received the completed application, and where appropriate, digital passport photograph.

Any member who is successful in the ballot and is offered fan tickets but then fails to make the relevant purchase may be disbarred from all OGAE UK ticketing processes for the next two years. This will be decided on a case by case basis by the OGAE UK Committee, and the member will be notified of any action if any, is to be taken.

Entry into the ballot does not guarantee that the host broadcaster will offer any tickets or that everyone requesting entry to the ballot will be successful.

OGAE fan tickets or ticket packages may only be used by current OGAE members and cannot be split.

Any member who passes on or sells fan tickets without the prior agreement of the OGAE UK Ticket Coordinator may be disbarred from participating in future OGAE UK ticketing processes and be liable to have their membership terminated.

The ballots will be conducted at the OGAE UK AGM on Saturday 19 November 2016, overseen by the OGAE UK Ticket Coordinator.

OGAE UK will notify applicants of ballot results and any fan ticket allocations by e-mail.

The method of communication will be by e-mail. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that their e-mail address is current and that their e-mail account is able to accept messages from OGAE UK.

OGAE UK will not be responsible for e-mails going into spam folders or for e-mails which are unread. It is the responsibility of applicants to check their e-mail account on a regular basis.

It is the responsibility of the individual applicants to keep OGAE UK informed of any changes relating to telephone numbers and e-mail addresses. Changes should be sent to tickets@ogae.uk and clearly indicate that they relate to the fan ticket ballot.

Any member who is likely to be away from home at the time fan tickets requests need to be finalised must ensure that it is possible to access their e-mail so that any offer and allocation can be confirmed immediately.

Arrangements for the actual purchase of fan tickets by successful applicants are determined by the host organiser and are outside the control of OGAE UK.

OGAE UK will not be responsible for any fan tickets that are lost or defaced, cancelled or withdrawn at any time, or for refusal of admittance to any of the shows by the organisers.

OGAE UK will not be responsible for any changes made by the host broadcaster after the issue and allocation of the fan tickets up to and including the time of broadcast, or for any obstructed or restricted viewing in the arena caused by the demands of a live television show.

OGAE UK cannot and will not be held responsible for any financial losses under any circumstances, including but not exhaustive of flights, hotels, visa and other travel related costs.

OGAE UK reserves the right to modify or add to these terms and conditions without notice. Any such changes will be notified as soon as possible to those members entering the ticket ballots.